MEX T1 landside Centurion lounge

[The real Swiss Tony]

Flew out of MEX on Saturday evening. Had a while at the airport so decided to drop into the Centurion lounge and it was very, very good. Staff couldn’t do enough to help, food was by lounge standards top notch. Mixed drinks tasted a bit on the weak side, but feels like I’m splitting hairs. Getting a bill with everything marked as $0 was also a bit strange – I know that business plat cardholders have to pay but were they just fishing for a tip?

Also an interesting point – as a family of 5 with 2 kids under 18, we were all admitted on one card with no additional charges due. I thought we would have to split it over the two cards.

Was certainly a stark contrast to the 1980s vibe of the AA lounge. Suspect if I had looked for long enough i’d have found a fax machine.

[e14]

Thanks for that, I’ll be there in a couple of weeks – how was security and immigration afterwards am always worried about landside lounges …

[The real Swiss Tony]

We were HBO so used the G checkpoint right next to the AMEX lounge. No queue at all at 7.30pm (or 8.45pm)

The J checkpoint by the BA desks seemed somewhat more chaotic at both 6.30pm and 8.45pm as having been given the run around by airport staff over exit immigration, I saw those lines more than once!

Note that access to the AA lounge is far easier from the G checkpoint as well. From J it’s going to be a fair bit further. Also no lift access to the AA lounge at present.

I understand they have updated the menu as of yesterday/today in the AMEX lounge so hope it still delivers.

[e14]

Thanks – what was the immi issue – some random stamp / piece of paper ?

[The real Swiss Tony]

We entered Mexico by land from Belize. We were only staying 3 days but as I understood it because we left for a 3rd country, we were supposedly liable to pay the tourist tax.

Foolishly (on reflection) we didn’t go to check in as we were HBO and had done OLCI. Went to the AMEX lounge then the AA one, but I had a niggling doubt as to why we still had these docs in our passport. AA lounge staff told me we needed to go to an immigration counter located right after J security checkpoint to sort out. Two of us set off, leaving the other three in the lounge with the bags. Immigration told us we had to go landside again and find some office to get the FMM’s (paper slip in passport) stamped. Eventually ended up at BA check in where they explained we didn’t need to do that, they would just take the forms and we could board the plane.

(There’s a story on FT about someone heading MEX-JFK who had messed up here and wasn’t allowed on the plane – I was wary).

To further confound the evening’s entertainment, the BA desk printed two paper boarding passes, supposedly for me and my son who had come with me when we clarified the issue with the immigration paper work. But the BPs were actually for my two sons. I didn’t check, security didn’t spot it so at the gate when my other son had his passport swiped, they printed a second boarding pass for him. Both he and I then boarded with the same BP, same seat, same sequence number(!!) I spotted this in the jet bridge, explained to a crew member on boarding, but ended up with the agent who had checked us in coming onto the plane demanding to see the boarding pass stubs (then making something of an apology when she realised what she had done).

Anyway, from the 5 of us, 4 FMMs were collected and none of us have an exit stamp in our passports. From what I’ve read, Mexico immigration is now all digital and they did scan the passports on arrival, but do I still owe the Mexican government US$45 x 5?

[NorthernLass]

I feel like I’ve read somewhere that it’s included in the ticket price, but I should probably double check this before our November trip!

[The real Swiss Tony]

It is included in the ticket price (has been since last May I think) but seems to be charged on the inbound sector. I questioned this a few months ago and recall you replied.

[JDB]

The MEX Amex Centurion T1 landside is good. I think they do expect a tip and having seen local people tipping, we did as well. A bit more subtle than the ghastly barman in the AA lounge who has been there for at least ten years and has a tip jar with large notes and makes the worst margaritas anyone is likely to have encountered in the country. If you put $5 in the jar, you won’t get a thank you but he will quickly remove the note so that just the $20 and 500 peso notes are visible. Have seen people leave coins which doesn’t go down well. It’s a terrible lounge!

[The real Swiss Tony]

Now that’s interesting – I was expecting standard AA practice of a pile of $ bills on the counter, but there was only a box (fairly) discretely placed at the back. Barman also seemed quite friendly – must have been the other bloke’s day off!